Food containers with removable lids are well known in the industry. Such containers will typically comprise a container bottom or receptacle having a cavity therein for the storage of a food product. The container receptacle will typically have a sidewall, a bottom wall and an upwardly opening top defined by a peripheral lip. A lid is removably mounted to the receptacle at the open end to selectively close the container opening. The lid may be semi-permanently secured to the receptacle or may be easily removably mounted to the receptacle as for example a friction fit or held in place by a snap lock fit. For some food products, a membrane closure can also be provided for hermetically sealing the container bottom and to provide tamper evidence should the container be opened prior to sale or even after sale. Such containers may be sold as singles or in a multi-pack version. An overwrap may also be provided for the container, particularly those containers which have the lid easily removable, to help prevent tampering and accidental lid removal. Containers with easily removable lids are used for ice cream, yogurt, margarine, sour cream, dips, sauces and the like. In such case, the container bottom or receptacle is made from a material and by a method compatible with the product to be stored. Examples of such receptacles include a helically wrapped paperboard, a side seamed wrapped construction, a polymeric container made by injection molding, thermoforming or vacuum forming. The lids may also be thermoformed or injection molded or may also be made out of paperboard or the like. Such containers are well known in the industry.
With a single serve container, it is desirable to provide a container that is both easily opened and is convenient for the consumer to consume the contents informally. However, consumers typically do not have an eating utensil or implement available unless they are at home or at work where such utensils are readily available. When done, it would be desirable for the consumer to properly dispose of the entire container including the container bottom and lid, and the eating utensil. Often times, a store will provide a wooden spoon or the like to the consumer but that requires effort by the store to ensure that the eating utensil is available and that the consumer finds the eating utensil without having to make a return trip to the store. It would be desirable to provide a container with its own eating utensil that is removably mounted to the container. Often times, for ice cream, a so called wooden spoon is provided but such spoon is typically flat on both major surfaces and while acceptable for consuming a solid or semi-solid material, they are practically useless for a product such as ice cream after it has melted some.
Typically, packaging is a low margin product and the attachment of an eating utensil to a package should be done in a manner that is amenable for high speed production and not result in any appreciable increase in the cost of the container to the food manufacturer. Because packaging equipment is expensive, it is often times been found desirable to manufacture container components at one facility and assemble them at another facility after filling. It is also desired that the final assembly of the filled containers be done with currently existing machinery at the food production plant. This eliminates the need for a new machine at each manufacturing facility and the attendant costs.
Thus, there is a need for an improved food container having its own eating utensil mounted thereto.